How to Make and Use Candied Cranberries

Candied cranberries are not only delicious; they can be a gorgeous garnish as well.

November 10, 2014Live Love Lux

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This November, we’re going to show you how you can achieve great taste with fall's favorite tart fruit: cranberries. This content was created in partnership with Food52.

If you think the only way to enjoy cranberries is to cook them down into sauce or toss them into loaf cake — think again. Come the holidays, we start making batches of candied cranberries on repeat. The perfect combination of tart and sweet, they’re gorgeous to look at — like little red, frost-covered gems — but even better as a snack or a garnish on anything and everything. We like to set little bowls of them out at a cocktail party and watch them disappear.

Bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a simmer in a saucepan. We like to add 2 teaspoons of orange blossom water to the mix, too, but rose water or a few, thick slices of ginger would work just as well.

Gently stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool completely. Once it’s cool, add about a cup of fresh cranberries. Let these two mingle in an air-tight container in the fridge for at least 8 hours and up to 24.

When you’re ready to eat them, drain the cranberries, and spread about a cup and a half of sugar on a plate. Working slowly by the small handful, toss a few cranberries at a time in the sugar, making sure to coat them completely. They should look like they just took a roll in the snow.

Let the sugar-coated cranberries dry for at least an hour on a baking sheet, and then serve them up in little bowls, or use them to garnish your cocktails and your desserts with reckless abandon. They’ll keep in an air-tight container for 2 to 3 days before getting soft, so eat up!

Live.Love.Lux Tip: Using your Electrolux induction cooktop, you can bring that sugar water to a perfect, even simmer thanks to professional temperature control.